Flexible wire shaft.



No. 887,160. PATENTED MAY 12, 1908.- H. W. WEBB. FLEXIBLE WIRE SHAFT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8 1907.

avi bmwco UNITED STATES P TENT oFFrcE.

HAR'IWELL W. WEBB, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WEBB MANUFACTURING (.OMPANY. OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY FLEXIBLE WIRE SHAFT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARTWELL W. WEBB.

a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Wire Shafts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enable ot ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to roduce a flexible shaft having two or more ielices of 0 posite hand or direct-ion of winding in w iich freedom of motion is provided between the adjacent, superjaccnt and subjacent coils.

Many flexible shafts heretofore in'commercial use are subject to grave defects. When caused to rotate in a curved position, the friction between the various superposed layers of wire becomes excessive and rapidly causes heating of the shaft with injury thereto, and corresponding loss of power. Ordinary flexible shafts are not commonly used to advantage when bent in a curve whose radius is less than twenty times the diameter of the shaft.

My improved flexible shaft can be used to advantage when bent in a curve or circle whose radius is but ten times the diameter of the shaft, because in my improved shaft there is free play between the adjacent, s lperjacent and subjacent coils of wire.

Heretofore, the flexible shafts in commercial use have. usually had central cores of twisted wire, which cores when the shafts are rotated in curved positions are subjected as units to alternate compression and tension as each shaft revolves. This sets u crystallization and eventually causes the Istortion of the said core. My im roved shaft hasno solid core or central mem er to be affected in this manner.

Mv improved shaft consists of a helical coil of wire composed of four or more or less wires laid side by side, extending ina direction arallel or nearly so to the torsional force to e a plied. Around and upon this coil is a simi ar helical coil of an equal number or more or less of wires laid side by side and of op osite hand or direction ofwinding. These coi s are not allowed to bind one u onanother, but permit ade uate play oft e parts and lubrication when t e shaft is rotatem in a curved position. Other coils may or may not be wound about the two inner coils in the same manner, the hand or direction of winding of the helices alternating with each superjacent coil.

find empirically that the diameter of the- -wires to be used in a shaft of say four layers of four wires each, should preferably be about one tenth of the diameter of'the finished shaft.-

Preferably, my improved shaft is made byv the process described and claimed in my pending application Serial No. 364,735 filed March 26, 1907.

A flexible shaft made in accordance with my invention is illustrated in .the various stages of manufacture in the accompanying sheet of drawings in which: I

F igure 1 represents the winding of the first layer of wire on a mandrel. acompleted shaft partly unwound to show the arrangement of the several layers of wire. Fig. 3 represents a completed shaft with ends capped with suitable couplings ready for use. Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are'exaggerated illustrative views to show the conditions of the wire helices at different periods in the process of manufacture.

Fig. 2 represents Throughout the drawings, like reference fastened to the wires and serve to hold the ends of the wire coils together and also afford means for coupling the shaft to it's work. A detail of the ordinary shaft so formed is shown in exaggerated cross section and side elevation in Figs. 4 and 5.

In my im )roved shaft formed according to the process escribed in my companion application No. 364,735, above referred to, or by an e uivalent process the individual coils of each elix are separated by a slight distance from the adjacent coils of the same diameter and from the adjacent coils of the next inner or outer helix, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 which are exaggerated detail views of a portron of one of my im roved shafts.

In the ordinary s aft shown in Figs. 3, 4

and 5 there is a tendency for the coils to unwind when removed from the winding machine and each coil then presses outwardly against the next one. These pressures produce friction and heat when the shaft is operated in a curved position and also cause a resistance to the bending of the shaft to a curve of small radius.

In my improved shaft additional flexibility results from the structure illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. The several coils, if not permanently se arated by the rocess of stretching describe in my said app ication No. 364,735, or equivalent means, are thereby relieved from all pressure one upon the other. Hence but litt e friction and heat are developed when the shaft is rotated in a bent position and a great improvement in efiiciency and life of the shaft results.

Having, therefore, described my invention, what I claim as new is:'

1. A flexible shaft comprising in combination two helical coils of wire wound one upon the other, each coil of each helix being separated by a slight distance from. the ad'acent coils of the same diameter and from t 'e adjacent coils of the same diameter and from the adjacent coils of the next inner and outer helices.

3. A flexible shaft comprising in combination a plurality of helical coils of wire wound one upon another, each coil of each helix being separated by a slight distance from thejacent coils of the same diameter and from I the adjacent coils of the next inner and outer helices, each helix being wound in a direction opposite to that in which the next inner and outer helices are wound.

5. A flexible hollow shaft com rising in combination a plurality of stran s of wire wound in the same direction in helical coils of uniform diameter, and a plurality of strands of wire wound in the o posite direction in helical coils of uniform ut lesser diameter located within the first mentioned helices, each coil of each helix being separated by a slight distance from the adjacent coils of both the same and diilerent diameters.

in testimony whereof I allix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

l-lAlt'lWELL W. WEBB. Witnesses:

D. V. Pinnrornr, E. V. (J. immune. 

